By Anna Belugina
Belarus’ Deputy Foreign Minister, Andrei Yevdochenko, recently told a press conference that the heads of our three countries’ governments have signed all relevant documents. “We’ll join the WTO as a single customs territory. There is no other option,” he noted, adding that the success of negotiations on WTO entry rely on its key players: WTO member states. He stressed, “The USA and the European Union have given Belarus ‘a green light’ regarding entry to the WTO.”
The Deputy Minister underscored that Belarus and its Customs Union partners are busy with WTO entry negotiations. Mr. Yevdochenko noted that a new chairperson was recently appointed to the working group for Belarus’ accession to the WTO, explaining, “He visited Belarus, together with representatives of the WTO Secretariat, for thematic consultations. Afterwards, a consolidated document detailing economic changes in Belarus was sent to the WTO headquarters.” The document has already been distributed among WTO member states and Belarus’ proposals are being studied. “We’ve agreed that a session of the working group will be held in November, as confirmed by the WTO Secretariat,” added Mr. Yevdochenko.
